As He Closed The Doors

When He Found Me

“Meerub, you know I will eventually find you jaani, just give in already...”,
Waqas Ahmed cooed out, his soft steps echoeing down the dimly lit corridor.

Playing hide and seek once he gets done with his day’s work, with his vivacious five year old had become a part of their daily routine! A part that he had inadvertently come to look forward to the most.
It was indeed a sight to reckon with ; Barrister Waqas Ahmed, one of the best of his kind – Famed, successful and respectable, a martyr at his profession ..being brought down on his knees by his little daughter! Who was a driving force ,deserving of every ounce of attention.

Sometimes he is the one who was to hide himself from her prodding doe eyes, sometimes he is attending her elaborate tea parties with her dolls then at times, he is outdoors, her little fingers clasped around his long ones, where he was expected to have an answer to why the sky is blue instead of red or why the birds have the privilege to fly but they don’t.
His daughter, he knew was one of those very few gifted darlings, who held fire within. She nurtured life within her with effortless grace even at an age as tender as hers. She had that kind of inherent appeal, that commanded every person's attention wherever she went. Persuasive and smart, it took Meerub only but her adorable toothy smile,  her large doe eyes and her signature rosy pout to have her way ! Then there was her sense of pristine logic that was unreal at her age, which aided her with victory against the most ‘adult’ of brains (like his) and never otherwise.

Meerub was special and she deserved special.

She proved the same every moment of every day, through her words and through her actions.

After having peeked behind every curtain in the hall, Waqas smiled appreciatively.

It was never an easy find. Meerub was always a difficult catch.

Taking a quick look at his wristwatch, he knew it was time to surrender. They were to head for dinner in a while. He sighed only to lovingly call out, “Meerub...beta, your baba accepts defeat! Now come out already...”

With the lapse of a few seconds, a miniature figure tottered out from behind one of the dark corners that was the intersecting point of two heavy silk curtains. Wobbling towards Waqas, her little snowy arms grabbed at his knee and a soft yet firm husky voice was heard,
“Baba aap firse dhund nahi paye mujhe!”

He dropped on his knees, to wane down to her height by some degree. Holding her close he whispered,
“That’s because Meerub's baba knows, ki meri Meerub ko tab tak dhunda nahi ja sakta jab tak woh khud na chahe ki usse koi dhund le.”

A mischievous smile sparked at the corner of her lips briefly only to give way to firm despair.
“Par Baba, aap ko mujhe dhund lena hai humesha..”.

She threw her little arms around her father’s neck, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

“Aap dhund lege na mujhe? Phir aap mujhe apne pass rakh lijiyega"

Something itched deep inside his heart as Waqas pulled his daughter closer. A mysterious yet knowing smile making its way across his face,
“Meerub, jaani... you are my little ball of fire. As beautiful and as unattainable. Aur aag ko dhund liya ja sakta hai, par hasil karne ke liye aur apne pass rakhne ke liye khud ke andar bhi aag ka  hona zaroori hota hai. Warna keyed karne ki koshish mein, khud jalke aakh ho jana hai koshish karne wale ko.”

Not understanding a word her father said, Meerub pulled herself up to look him into the eye. She needed a satisfactory response from her baba. One that she would understand. With a curious expression on her pretty face and a slight pout shaping her lower lip, she squeaked,
“Baba aap dhund lege na mujhe? Kahe na baba!”